Ammunition box for machine guns



Jan. 25, 1944. J, MARTlN AMMUNITION BOX FOR MACHINE GUNS Sheets-Sheet l Filed April 18,

M. r w a &

Jan. 25, 1944. J -rm Q 2,339,869-

AMMUNITION BOX FOR MACHINE GUNS Filed April 18, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 25, 1944 AMIWUNITION BOX FOR MACHINE GUNS James Martin, Higher Denham, near Uxbridge,

England Application April 18, 1942, Serial No. 439,546

In Great Britain November 9, 1938 r Claims. (01. 89-34) This invention relates to an ammunitionbox .or magazine for machine guns and is primarily intended for .usev with machine guns mounted in aircraft, but suitable for other purposes where it is required to minimise space for ammunition, or to operate guns from remote control. The inven: tion is particularly applicablefor use where a number of machine guns are mounted close to-, gether side by side in the wings or other suitable parts of an aeroplane. V 7

An example of a suitable construction of ammunition box for machine guns according to this invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: p

, Fig. 1 is a sectional side elevation view.

Fig. 2 is a plan view.

Fig. 3 is an end elevation view, and V Fig. 4 is a sectional side elevation view showing the box in use.

Referring to the drawings, the ammunition box or magazine shown is particularly suitable for use with machine guns in aeroplane wings and other locations where a large number of cartridges are to be accommodated in proximity to a gun to be supplied, and in which itis desirable to utilise the minimum of space for this purpose. Thebox comprises a rectangular trough l of sheet metal or other suitable material closed. at its top by a tray-like lid 2 adapted to befirmly secured to the box and formed on the lower edges of itsside walls with two longitudinal flanges 3 with headed free edges 4 to afford handles for lifting the closed box. The lid is preferably secured by'a pair of transverse pins 5 and 6 slidably engaged in co-operating aligned tubular parts. la and 2a on the ends of the box and lid respectively. This enables the lid to be swung up about either end of the box by selecting the pin to be removed from the end of the lid which is to be swung upwards.

The box I is arranged of a size to accommodate a considerable number of layers of cartridges 1 by folding the belt or strip of cartridges backwards and forwards along the length of thepammunition box. In one example seven or eight such layers may be accommodated thus providing for approximately 250 to 300 rounds of arm munition. In order to prevent the ammunition from piling up at oneend of the ammunition box and thus'interfering with the free feed of the machine gun, one or more suitable retaining devices is'or are provided in the ammunition box or-magazine. Such retaining devicesmflay comprise a hinged or pivoted flap 8 suitably loaded so that its free "end willbe pressed upon the up- ,prlayers of-the belt orstrip of ammunition.

Each retaining fiapmay be pivoted at or near one end, preferably to the lid of the ammunition box as by :means of lugs 9 on the lid, and may be spring loaded, e. g., by a torsion spring 10 so that its free end will be resiliently pressed upon the upper layer of the strip or belt of ammunition. The free end of the retaining flap may be suitably curved as at 8a, or otherwise shaped so as to permit the strip or belt of ammunition to move freely past it in the direction of the length of the strip or belt. In one or both ends of the ammunition box may be provided a suitably inclined deflector plate II or alternatively the end or ends of the ammunition box may themselves be inclined at asuitable angle. This deflector plate, which. may be a V shaped strip secured to the box I by flanges Ha, is inclined downwardly forwardly at the front end of the box and is about in relation to the lid so that it maintainsthe cartridges uniformly staggered along the box. This prevents the cartridgesfrom piling up haphazardly when the aeroplane is diving or effecting steep manoeuvres. In Fig. 4 the box is shown inclined to illustrate this feature.

The ammunition box or magazine is provided with a suitable lid preferably hinged at or near one end'so that iti'may be raised to give access to the interior ofthe ammunition box or magazine for the purpose of loading it witha strip or belt of ammunition'or for inspection of the ammunition already therein. A shallow compartment or channel I2 through which the strip or belt of ammunition is fed from the box or magazine is formed in or mounted upon the inner face of the lid of the box. The entry I3 from the ammunition box or magazin to this shallow compartment or channel is preferably arranged at or .near the centre of the length of the box and suitable roller I4 or other antifriction device is arranged at the point of entry to the channel and. another'roller I5 contacts with the upper side of the" line of cartridges just in front of the roller M. This upper roller I5 can" be housed in a transverse channel section cover plate l5a' fixed to the lid in juxtaposition to a part cylindrical mound in the lid which is concentricwith the roller l4 and spaced from such roller a distance slightly greater than the maximum diameter of a cartridge. If desired the roller Hi can be grooved to accommodate the flanges at the bases of the cartridge cases, and also if desired the rollers may be slightly coned to correspond approximately with the taper of the cartrldgecases and bullets.

The lid is formed with an outlet opening it at its front end, such i opening being covered by a hood or funnel l! in which the line of cartridges is reversed in direction of travel by being drawn over a roller 18 in the hood or funnel I1 and concentric with an arcuate corner Ha of the hood or funnel. This roller l8 may be grooved and/or tapered as proposed in connection with the roller I 4.

The hood or funnel I! has an oblong section outlet mouth l'lb through which the cartridges may be drawn directly to the gun, or if desired this mouth can receive as a push-on fit the rear end of an arcuate oblong section chute l9 whereby the cartridges can be traversed through substantially a right angle and be delivered to the gun breach individually parallel and-in aligr'x-- ment with the axis of the breech. This has the advantage that the box I can be located close alongside the gun and located in a plane parallel with the axis of the gun barrel, thereby obviating a laterally extending magazine, this being desirable where a number of guns are to be located close to each other. The outer end of the curved chute is formed with clips or lugs to engage with the appropriate part of the gun.

The chute l-9' is preferably curved downwardly swan-neck fashion beyond the adjacent side wall of the box I, as shown in Fig. 3 to ensure an easy and smooth surface for the cartridges to travel along, and one or more rollers 2| is, or are, provided at the inner bend of the chute to form an abutment or abutments for the points of the bullets, the cartridge case flanges travelling close to the larger radius bend of the chute.

When the lid of the ammunition box or magazine is turned about its hinge at one end the whole of the interior of the ammunition box or magazine will be readily accessible and the entry to the shallow compartment or channel will also be readily accessible for threading one end of the strip or belt of ammunition into it. By

detaching the curved chute the strip or belt of ammunition may be drawn through the shallow compartment or channel and then passed through and around the curved chute which is then secured in position to the outlet end of the channel. The free end of the strip or belt of ammunition is then" available for feeding to the magazine of the machine gun.

I claim:

1. An ammunition box for machine'guns and the like comprising a box, shaped and adapted to lie entirely along and close to one side the gun and also adapted to accommodate the car tridges in a belt so that they lie across the box transverse to the axis of the breech, a removable lid fitted to the top of the box, said lid being provided with an upstanding transverse cartridge outlet member near one end thereof through which the cartridges are drawn from the box to the breech of the gun, and a substantially horizontal cartridge guide member of shallow oblong cross section extending towards the other end of the lid, said bent cartridge guide member being bent. through about 90 so as to extend as a shallow, oblong cross-section, part annular, projection laterally beyond one side of the box towards the gun breech at a position between the ends of the box and to feed the cartridges into the breech parallel with-the breech axis, said shallow oblong cross section guide and lateral extension thereof: being dimensioned to accommodate a single layer of eartridgesarranged transversely thereim, 1h 7 2, An ammunitionzbox for machine,- guns. and

the like comprising a box shaped and adapted to lie close alongside the gun and also adapted to accommodate the cartridges in a belt so that they lie across the box transverse to the axis of the breech, a removable lid fitted to the top of the box, said lid being provided with a transverse outlet opening through which the cartridges are drawn from thebox to the breech of the gun, a spout-like extension carried by the lid and positioned to receive the cartridges as they are drawn through said outlet opening, said spoutlike extension standing upwardly from one end of the lid and, projecting substantially horizontally close to the top of the box towards the other end thereof, and a part annular tubular guide member fitted at one end to said spoutlike extension for guiding the cartridges, with the cartridges substantially radiating from the smaller radius bend of the part annular guide to the gun breech mechanism so as to deliver the cartridges from its other end to the gun breech parallel with the axis of the breech at a position between the ends of the box.

3. An ammunition box for machine guns and the like comprising a box adapted to be located in fixed relationship entirely along and close to the gun so as to extend substantially parallel with the gun barrel and adapted to accommodate a plurality of superposed lines of cartridges arranged in belt or flexibly linked-up form extending backwards and forwards within the box, a substantially longitudinal shallow channel outlet guide extending along the upper part of the box and forming anoutlet for cartridges to be fed from the box to the gun and directly communicating at one end with the interior of the box at a point approximately midway betw'eenthe ends of the box, a spout-like outlet member at the other end of said channel projecting upwardsfrom one end of thebox and bent towards" the other end of the box, antifriction member at the ends of said shallow channel outlet guide over which the belt of cartridges travel, a tubular cartridge guide adapted to be connecte'd at one end to the gun breech and attached at its other end to said outlet member and curved between its ends so as to deliver the cartridges to the gun breech parallel with the axis of the gun breech, and an upper lid fitted on the box and carrying said shallow channel outlet guide, spout-like outlet member and said anti-friction members.

4. An ammunition box for machine guns and the like comprising. a box adapted to be located in fixed relationship close alongside the gun so as to extend substantially parallel with. the gun barrel and adapted to accommodate a plurality of superposed lines of cartridges arranged in belt or fiexibly linked-up form extending backwards and forwards within the box, a substantially longitudinal shallow channel outlet guide extending along the upper part of the box and forming an outlet for cartridges 'to be fed from the box to the gun and directly communicating at one end with the interior of the box at a point approximately mid-way between the ends of the box,.a spout-like outlet member at the -otherend of said channel projecting upwards fromone end of the box and bent towards the other end of thebox, anti-friction members at the ends of said shallow channel outletIguide over which the belt of cartridges travel, a tubular. cartridge guide adapted to be connected at one end to the gun breech and attached at its other end to said outlet member and curved between its ends so as to deliver the cartridges to the gun breech parallel with the axis of the gun breech, an upper lid fitted on the box and carrying said shallow channel outlet guide, said spout-like outlet member and said anti-friction members, means to lock the lid to the box, and longitudinal flange like handle parts on the lid for lifting the box.

5. An ammunition box for machine guns and the like comprising a box shaped and adapted to lie close alongside the gun and also adapted to accommodate the cartridges in a belt so that they lie across the box transverse to the axis of the breech, a removable lid fitted to the top of the box, said lid being provided with a transverse outlet member through which the cartridges are drawn from the box to the breech of the gun, a guide member for guiding the cartridges to the gun breech connected at one end to said outlet member in said lid and its other end extending laterally beyond one side of the box for connection to the gun breech mechanism, said guide member being shaped to change the axial direction of the cartridges as they pass therethrough so that they emerge from the guide member parallel with the breech axis, a downwardly and forwardly inclined wall to form the front end of the inside of the box to prevent piling up of cartridges inside the box, a flap member pivoted at one end to the underside of the lid adjacent the other end of the box and means urging the other end of said flap member downwards against the cartridges to maintain the layers of cartridges within the full length of the box for a portion of the depth of the max from the base up to a zone adjacent to the inlet end of said guide.

JAMES MARTIN. 

